Crack growth analysis in concrete using boundary element method

✍ Scribed by A.L. Saleh; M.H. Aliabadi

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 702 KB
• Volume: 51
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0013-7944
• DOI: 10.1016/0013-7944(94)00301-w

✦ Synopsis

In this paper, the dual boundary element method is extended to include the non-linear behaviour of cracking in concrete. The fictitious crack model is used to simulate the pure mode I and mixed mode crack propagation in concrete. The fictitious crack in the fracture zone in front of the real crack tip is replaced by the closing forces acting on both crack surfaces. When the force at the fictitious crack tip exceeds the maximum tensile strength of the concrete, the crack will propagate perpendicular to the maximum principal stress. The numerical simulation is controlled through the crack length as a monotonic increasing function during the fracture process. Three-point bending and four-point shear specimens are used to check the numerical results for mode I and mixed mode, respectively. Under the crack length controlled scheme, the snapback instability is observed in the mixed mode problem.